From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The owner of Hilton Hotel, where Timothy Adegoke, a Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, lodged before his alleged murder, Dr. Rahman Adedoyin, has closed his case without calling witnesses in the murder charge against him and six workers in his hotel. When the case came up yesterday, Justice Oyebola Ojo expressed displeasure over the absence of counsel to the seventh defendant (Adesola Adedeji), Okon Ita, who was said to be in the hospital.
Justice Ojo noted that she had begged the counsels to always notify the court if they would not appear in court a day before the sitting.
Counsel to Adedoyin, Kehinde Eleja SAN, informed the court that the witnesses intended to be called by his client have been disappointing and delaying the proceedings. He said efforts to ensure that Inspector Victor Ekpenyong and ACP Benedict Ago of the Nigeria Police Forest Laboratory appeared in court to testify in the case proved abortive. The counsel said he would be constrained to close the case of the first defendant and apply for a date to file a written address.
Other counsels, Muritala AbduRasheed SAN, and O.O Yusuf applied for two weeks to file their written addresses and five days to reply on point of law. The representative of Femi Falana, SAN, Fatimah Adesina, promised that the prosecution would turn in its written address within two weeks.
Justice Ojo, thereby, closed the case of Adedoyin and directed counsels, including Okon, to file their written addresses within two weeks after the prosecution address. She adjourned to March 16 for the adoption of the final written addresses of the counsels.